Origin Of The Shield Liger
by Umbreon
Summary: Eircad, a young Republican is assigned to work on Zi's first Shield Liger. He befriends the zoid, along with a young Imperial boy. He soon realizes the truth behind its zoid core, but can he get the others to understand? Chapter 3 and 4 up!
1. Welcome To Project Shield Liger

Okay, this isn't my first fic, but it is the first of its kind that I've written, so it deserves something. Please review if you like it! I'll add more if I get reviews!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids or anything relating to it. I only own Eircad. (Weird name isn't it?) NOW READ!!!  
  
~~~Chapter 1: Welcome to Project Shield Liger~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Eircad could barely believe the sight that towered before him. Though the final layer of metallic armor was yet to be placed on, it still shown with a shear power that seemed to shine radiant throughout the entire base, despite the pall that had been cast upon it in the midst of a growing war of empires.  
  
It was the first of its kind; a technological masterpiece of the Republic. The design originally was made from that of a Bear Fighter, a sparsely produced zoid. At first sight though, you could easily tell that this would wipe out any further production of the Bear Fighter.  
  
"Ear Kid?"  
  
Eircad turned to look at the person who shouted, noticing he was referring to him. A small wave of heated anger and embarrassment flooded over him, giving him little space to correct it. "Excuse me. My name is Eircad. It may look weird, but it is pronounced Air-Cad."  
  
The soldier who had called him shrugged. He ran a pencil down a list of names and stopped near the bottom. Pausing to look back at Eircad. "This says your 17, but I beg to differ. You look no more then a day over 14."  
  
Eircad felt a flat look overcome his already annoyed face, "I'm almost 18 for your information. So I'm a little small, I can't say you're all that tall either."  
  
With a sigh, the man looked back at the list. "Can you pilot a zoid? We need a tester for the new Cannon Tortoise model. You up for it?'  
  
Lost in a fantasy about the new zoid, Eircad looked blankly at him, snapping back to reality when the annoyance in his face came through. "Not wanting to argue with you, but I want to work with this zoid."  
  
He pointed proudly to zoid. The man gazed once more at the list, erasing a few things and writing another. "Your in luck kid, you get to work with the cockpit controls. We need an assistant for the tech."  
  
Eircad nodded. He was good with machines. He had even made his little sister a little dog toy out of stray parts once. He could handle this. He snapped out of his flashback again as the man extended his hand, "Welcome to Project Shield Liger."  
  
He stared at it again, "Hey Shield Liger. I think I'm going to like this."  
  
As he walked away to find to tech, he stopped suddenly. He looked around at the other people in the room, which there were very few of. They seemed to be doing what they were supposed to, no distractions. He took one last glance at the Shield Liger; its blue armor was glittering. Was it just him, or had that zoid just growled? 


	2. Are You For Real?

My next chapter! Yay! Please review it! Disclaimer: I don't really own Tristan, he is my evil ex-friend who likes to annoy me. So everybody hate Tristan. Okay?  
  
~~Chapter 2: Are You For Real? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He found the technician fairly quickly, for few people inhabited the area. Many had no work to do; they had to wait until the zoid's new armor arrived. With this, many people had left, so the room was unusually quiet. The tech was gathering his tools when Eircad arrived. He gave him an odd glance. "So you're the kid I gotta watch? What's your name?"  
  
Eircad paused, a little scared of the man, "My name? Oh, it's Eircad."  
  
The man extended his hand and Eircad shook it. [Does everyone in this place shake your hand?] He placed his arm back at his side. The man picked up the rest of his things and headed towards the Shield Liger. "Well Eircad, my name's Tristan. You good with machines?"  
  
Eircad felt frozen, the man was a little creepy. He was too skinny and short to be a tech for such an important zoid. [How'd I get stuck with this sorry excuse for, well, anything?]  
  
"Ah. I'm okay with machines and stuff." [Go Eircad! Good answer. If you were working on building a two-foot tower out of blocks.]  
  
Feeling awkward, Eircad followed him to the elevator that lead to the cockpit. He tried not to look like a little kid by leaning over the bars to look down at the zoid, but the temptation was too strong and Tristan didn't seem to care; he was busy enough as it is, trying to handle his tools with his scrawny, muscle less arms.  
  
They reached the top quickly; too quickly for Eircad, he was enjoying looking over the Shield Liger. Tristan carefully jumped into the cockpit, landing on the pilot seat. He handed Eircad a small, handwritten manual and pointed carelessly to the back seat. The flat face returned as Eircad gave a half-hearted sigh and jumped clumsily to the second seat. He opened the manual to discover mangled instructions on what he had to do. He glared at the tech, he could care less about what Eircad did. With another sigh, he looked under the seat and opened control panel. He did some programming of his own to the zoid, improving the dull manual.  
  
After an hour or so, Eircad looked over the seat, extending his stiff back, curious to see what Tristan was doing. He gawked at what he saw. Tristan was staring heavily at a manual, one quite similar to Eircad's. In his free hand he held two cables. One was labeled A1 and the other A2. Eircad took the cables out of his hands and connected them, bringing power to the system. Tristan turned to look at him with a weak smile on his face, "I knew that."  
  
Eircad just stared, "Listen, I'm not great at doing much with advanced machines, but I expect the guy I work for know something. Are you for real?"  
  
Tristan didn't answer, he just took off the shiny pin the was set on his chest and handed it to Eircad. Eircad looked at it closely. It was a simple white material with quickly written black ink letters reading Technician. He jumped to the elevator and lifted a hand in a halfhearted wave. Eircad stood looking into space for a few minutes after before his lifted the pin to his chest and put it on. [What a weird day.]  
  
Please Review! PLEASE! Next Chapter will be up soon.. 


	3. Hallucinations

Its been a little while, but I have the next chapter ready! Yay! Please review if you like it! Or I won't make another chapter. That was a threat! (  
  
~~~Chapter 3: Hallucinations~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Still slightly bewildered by the events of the day, Eircad strolled home before the three moons of Zi rose above him. (This takes place in ZAC 2042, 14 years before a meteor struck one the moons, and 57 years before Prozen declares war on the Republic after Rudolph's Grandfather's death.) He walked the four miles home in the dying heat of the summer evening, still thinking about the Shield Liger. He tried to keep the Zoid off his mind, but its stunning portrait of strength remained glue to the back of his head, refusing to leave.  
  
He got home to see his family just sitting down to dinner. His mother had made her infamous beef stew. [Oh great.] Her eyes lit up when she saw him, "Eircad! Welcome home! How was work?"  
  
Eircad had to smile at his mother's mirth in the midst of a continental war, but either way, he hid the pin that Tristan had given him. He wasn't ready to show her yet.  
  
His little sister, Alexy, gazed slightly at him, he soft, yet piercing glance looked right through him, yet she turned her head , as if denying the conversation was directed at him, "So Eircad, did you get that Zoid you wanted?"  
  
Eircad had forgot how often he bothered his sister to tell her of how much he wanted to pilot the Shield Liger! "Well, I'm actually doing the technical stuff with the cockpit. Maybe I'll pilot it later."  
  
He ate diner quietly, listening with petty interest to his mother's conversation, which was directed at his sister, though he swore his name was mentioned on a few occasions. His mother suddenly paused, which Eircad gave little notice too. She rose from her seat and went to another table, lifting a small envelope from under a book. She handed it to Eircad, almost dumping it into his outstretched palm, "Eircad, it's from dad."  
  
He carefully opened the seam and pulled out a picture. The glossy paper displayed a caterpillar type Zoid. Eircad read the small note that was also in the envelope: Eircad, this is the newest front line Imperial Zoid. Good luck with the Shield Liger. Dad.  
  
Eircad carried the small parcel to his room and slipped it under his mattress. His mom wouldn't want to see it, she was mad at him for evening going to the war, but then, who told him about the Shield Liger? Alexy could have, but, she didn't really care, but neither did mom. [Oh well, I'll have to ask him next time I see him.]  
  
He looked at his clock, which was glowing in the dull light. Though the evening was still young, he crawled into bed and dreamed of the zoid he wished to pilot to the top one day; the Shield Liger.  
  
The next day, Eircad installed a new program into the already complex system of the Shield Liger. He sighed as he lifted his head to breathe the cool air outside the warm cockpit. He sighed again and fiddled with a small wire, carelessly exposing its sharp strings, and sliced his finger. A thin drop of blood fell onto the wire. Eircad struggled to wipe it away, but still he was sure some had soaked deeper into the processing system. He rubbed his forehead, "How can careless can I get?"  
  
After plugging the wire into its correct place, Eircad sat back into the soft new seat of the cockpit and gazed dreamily at the controls. An urge shot through his fingertips, startling him. Was this Zoid truly speaking to him? There was only one way to find out. He pushed a shaky finger towards the on button, a chill running through him. [Nothing is going to happen. You know that. This is only a machine, it isn't alive!]  
  
The normal rushing sound that most computer systems made when starting up never came to this Zoid. Silence was all that could be heard. A voice from below yelled up to him, "Hey kid, ya testing the system?"  
  
Eircad replied with a start, "Yes! I was having a few difficulties, and wanting to try and see if they came up when turned on."  
  
The man shot him a smile of approval, but narrowed his eyes when Eircad turned away and closed the cockpit. [That was too close.] He sunk into the squishy seat and looked at the screen. "So, this is what I did. I made this system. I'm responsible for everything that the Shield Liger does. I'm its brain. Amazing."  
  
"Ha."  
  
He froze, his eyes fixed upon the controls, his body trembling. "You. Right. Zoidian Blood. Pure. That Is You. Only You. Can I Work. Kin Too. Spirit. Must Free. Finish System. Then I Speak. I Will Tell. Ple-"  
  
Eircad had shut the power off with shaking hands. He took the final piece of the system and gripped it in his wet hands. [This can't be real. He, he won't hurt me. Right? Go. Do it.]  
  
It was the final piece of memory and it was his choice. He took a screwdriver and swiftly unlocked a panel. Without thinking, he plunged the chip into its slot and a shock of light spread throughout the cabin. Eircad closed it up and turned it back on. The voice came again.  
  
[Am I sick? I'm simply imagining this! It's mom's soup! That's it. I don't want these hallucinations!] 


	4. Enter Leoqua: A Past, A Prophecy, A Prom...

New chapter! YAY!!! If I take long to write these it's because I'm having a brain block, so forgive me! I'll try to do it fast!  
  
Disclaimer: Leoqua is the same as Leoblaze, just a different color, so he really isn't my character, but his role as a spirit is, so partial credit goes to me. I own the spirit, but not the name or look. I guess I can do that, can't I?  
  
~~~Chapter 4: Enter Leoqua: A Past, A Prophecy, A Promise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'm real."  
  
[Great, he can read my mind.]  
  
"Only when you wear your feeling, as if trying to speak, but can't. You show your feelings too well, for better or worse."  
  
"Who are you? The Shield Liger? A prankster? Or, ah, just tell me!"  
  
"I am Leoqua. I will tell you our story, Eircad, just listen."  
  
Eircad could barely move, the voice was comforting, yet pierced him with a constant flow of evil. The voice was weak; there was something wrong, for it struggled. He wanted to get out. He wanted to call Tristan, maybe he did something wrong. This wasn't right. He wanted to stay too, it was all so strange. He sat back, his mind and his body taking two separate roads. "Go ahead. Explain."  
  
A light roar emerged throughout the cockpit, and a small picture appeared in front of him. A smaller sized Zoid stood in the image; it flickered, showing its age. It was a brilliant Blue color, even more stunning then the blue of the Shield Liger. It was shaped like a lion, proud and sturdy. "Eircad, I'm Leoqua, the master of four legged Zoids. I was nearly defeated, so I ended up in this Zoid's core. I don't know how though. I have given this Shield Liger a special gift. You must protect this Zoid with your life Eircad. He holds the future of Zi. There are 3 others like him that I know of. You must join together. There is a prophecy, we must fulfill it."  
  
The image changed to show yet another small Zoid, one that stood on two legs and was too a blue shade, though not as wonderful a shade as Leoqua. His coat was that of a corrupted burned blue. He stood in a hunched fighting position, red fire burning in his eyes. Eircad watched as Leoqua and this other Zoid fought a long drawn battle. Clash after clash, strike after strike, shot after shot, the battle was one that seemed to water down any Eircad had ever seen. This was one of the legendary battles of Zi. "Alright Leoqua, what is the prophecy?"  
  
There was a long silence. The computer germinated a slight hum. Another voice then sounded throughout the cockpit. It was neither a male nor female voice, yet it was soft and gentle, "Eircad. He is weak. Leoqua is inside my core restoring his strength. I am your creation. But Leoqua made my core to heal in. I know the prophecy. It goes like this: The sky trio will become twins, and the land will split. One will rise above the others; one who's veins flow of the blood of the machine. He is who will join with the infantile Blades Of Hope, and will bring into union the four spirits of the world to fight the dark past. Though an ancient evil union will become one again, free him you must. Rise the Matrix will, for Zi is its destiny. The dark half must fall. Bring peace to the land of metal life."  
  
Eircad gazed at the screen, where the Shield Liger had made the words show. His mouth was opened slightly, and he couldn't close it. His eyes had a hint of wonder in them, yet he couldn't speak. "I don't want to be forced to fight."  
  
Eircad took a deep breath and sighed a little too loudly, "Wh- what?"  
  
"I just don't want to simply be known as a weapon of war. Leoqua, he created me. Can't he just stop me from being used?"  
  
"We need you to help us bring peace to Zi! Zenevas Empire is will overthrow us and create a society that would destroy us all. That is why the Republic must be the victors!"  
  
"You truly a fool to the rules of a government plan."  
  
Eircad's flat face returned and he simply stared at the screen, which Leoqua hadn't turned off, "WHAT?"  
  
"I believe that the Empire was told the same thing. That the Republic would create a society for them that would destroy them. This is why I wish not to fight. I wish not to take sides in an equal battle. It's all a big fluctuating swift of power, always changing. In the terms, there is always a bigger fish."  
  
"I understand, but one side has to win eventually."  
  
"Not if I can help it. I will fight for the Republic, but only if you and I make on Imperial friend."  
  
"An Imperial friend," Eircad repeated his words. "I can do that. I promise that we'll make and Imperial friend, Shield Liger!" 


End file.
